Israel has reached an agreement with the U.S. military to accelerate the relocation of American aircraft parked at Ben Gurion Airport, a move expected to eliminate the remaining threat to more than 200,000 airline tickets during the peak summer travel season, the Transportation Ministry announced Friday.

Under the agreement, 30 U.S. military aircraft will be gradually moved from Ben Gurion Airport to Israeli Air Force bases by Tuesday, with an additional 20 aircraft to be relocated in a later phase. Since June 16, when the first breakthrough in negotiations was reached, 15 American aircraft have already been moved from the airport.

The congestion began after dozens of U.S. military refueling and transport aircraft occupied a significant portion of Ben Gurion’s aircraft parking capacity, raising concerns that airlines would be forced to reduce flight schedules during the busy summer months and the upcoming Yomim Tovim season. Earlier estimates warned that as many as 2.4 million airline tickets could be affected before the initial agreement reduced that figure to approximately 200,000. Officials now say the latest agreement is expected to remove that remaining risk as well.

As part of the arrangement, Israel agreed that if the security situation deteriorates, the American aircraft would be permitted to return to Ben Gurion Airport within approximately 72 hours. The commitment helped pave the way for the agreement with the U.S. military.

The reopening of Terminal 1 has also helped ease congestion at the airport. Ben Gurion recently recorded its busiest day since the start of Operation Rising Lion, with more than 75,000 passengers passing through the airport on international flights in a single day.

(YWN World Headquarters – NYC)